Manga Review: Haikyu!! V 10 by Haruichi Furudate

Realizing that their game isn’t good enough to win at the Spring Tournament, Hinata wants to change how they run the freak quick attack. Instead of closing his eyes and trusting Kageyama to put the ball where he can hit it, he wants to keep his eyes open and be a more active participant in the play. Kageyama refuses to listen to him, and tells him he won’t put the ball where he can hit it anymore. It’s too close to the tournament to change their best play. The tension between the two teammates alters the flow of the entire game, and their first training camp is a disaster.

This volume was so good! With the pressure to improve, all of the players on the Karasuno club are feeling the heat. Hinata wants to be the best there is, but if Kageyama won’t work with him, his personal growth will be stifled. To help keep the two from knocking heads, Coach Ukai takes Hinata on a special training mission – to see the first Coach Ukai! I loved the interaction between Keishin and his grandfather. The old guy knows his stuff, and while he’s schooling Hinata, he also gives Keishin some hard lessons on running the team.

Kageyama realizes that Hinata might have a point, but he’s not ready to release his hold over the ball. A humbling encounter with Oikawa makes him think long and hard about how he runs the game, and how he needs to improve. While he isn’t ready to forgive Hinata for his rebellion, Kageyama is working through his own shortcomings on the court.

The weeklong training camp is a sobering experience for Karasuno. After owning up to their weaknesses, they all agree that their game play needs to improve drastically, or they will be eliminated quickly from the Spring Tournament. Getting everyone on board isn’t happening, though. Tsukishima, despite his height and ability, isn’t willing to put all of his effort into the game. It doesn’t matter to him. After a heartbreaking reason for his indifference is revealed, I was willing to cut him a little bit of slack.

The team dynamitic was explored in this volume, and I loved all of the drama. All of those egos and all of that testosterone was getting out of control! Karasuno has a long way to go before they are ready to face the best teams in Tokyo.

Grade: 4.75 stars

Review copy borrowed from my local library

About the book:

Hinata boldly declares that he won’t close his eyes for the freak quick anymore, but Kageyama isn’t having any of it. The two of them fight, setting the entire team back in the practice game. Now, having come face-to-face with how much better all the Tokyo teams are than them, Karasuno will either step up their game and evolve into a new team or crumble under the pressure.